Rack

ABSTRACT

A rack for holding tools or similar objects, which comprises a channel and a transversely flexible ribbon. The flanges of the channel carry a pair of opposed ridges and the ribbon, formed into one or more open loops, is pressed into the channel against the back with each loop wedged between the ridges and projecting from the channel.

United States Patent 91 Rempel 1 RACK [76] Inventor: Robert Henry Rempel, Taylor Rd.,

Bracebridge, Ontario, Canada [22] Filed: Oct. 13, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 297,289

[52] US. Cl. 211/60 T, 24/243 K, 211/89, 211/63, 211/65, 248/314, 312/207 [51] Int. Cl A47b 81/00, A47f 7/00 [58] Field of Search 211/60 T, 69, 60 A, 120,

211/698, 39, 60 R, 89, 65, 61, 63, 35, 60 G, 68, 183, 87; 24/243 K; 223/32; 312/207,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,269,940 1/1942 Johnson., 312/206 UX in] 3,812,976 [451 May 28, 1974 2,371,433 3/1945 Davis 211/60 T 2,430,624 11/1947 Vollmer 211/120 3,160,280 12/1964 Burch 211/89 1/1967 Kirkpatrick 16/7 X Primary Examiner Roy D. Frazier Assistant ExaminerAbraham Frankel [57] ABSTRACT 8 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures RACK This invention relates to a rack for holding tools or similar objects.

Wall racks for holding tools, or similar objects such as test tubes, have a horizontal row of loops through which only elongated portions of the tools or rods pass. To accommodate different sizes and shapes of tools or rods it is necessary to provide loops of different apertures.

The object of the present invention is to provide a rack for holding tools and the like, having a row of loops of adjustable apertures.

An example embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a bracket and a ribbon for forming an adjustable rack;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a portion of a rack formed from the bracket and ribbon of FlG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of a ribbon foruse in forming the rack of FIG. 2.

The embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings consists of a channel and a ribbon 12. Channel 10 comprises a back 14 and a pair of parallel flanges 16 outstanding from the side edges of the back. Inner face 18 of each flange 16 carries, adjacent its free edge 22, a raised strip 20 parallel to back 14 and serrated in a saw-tooth configuration in a plane normal to the back to form a plurality of parallel sharp ridges 24 slanted towards back ,14 of channel 10.

Ribbon 12 is preferably longer than channel 10 and has a width approximately equal to the spacing between opposed inner faces 18 of flanges 16 to enable the ribbon to lie against inner surface 19 of back 14, but greater than the spacing between opposed raised strips 20 of the flanges to prevent the ribbon from sliding out of the channel. Ribbon 12 is laterally deformable and transversely flexible. To define the directions used in relation to ribbon 12, the term longitudinaF is used to indicate the direction of the length of the ribhon, the term lateral is used to indicate the direction of thewidth of the ribbon and the term transversely" is used to indicate the direction perpendicular to the plane of the ribbon. I

In use, ribbon 12 is form ed into open loops 26 as seen in FIG. 2 of the drawings and portions 28 of the ribbon between the loops are forced into channel 10 against inner surface 19 of back 14 of the channel. This wedges the base portions of each loop 26 between raised strips 20 with sharp ridges 24 deforming the parallel edges 30 of the ribbon. Each loop may be given any selected size to hold a given too] 32. The slant of ridges 24 makes it easier to push ribbon 12 into channel 10 but inhibits movement of the ribbon outward from the channel.

Channel 10 may be made of any suitable rigid material such as a rigid polyvinylchloride (PVC) which may be extruded. A suitable material for ribbon 12 is a PVC soft enough to be transversely flexible and to enable the ribbon to be deformed by raised strips 20 of channel 10 but sufficiently rigid in its plane to maintain itself wedged in the channel and to inhibit sagging when holding a tool 32. To assist against sagging, outer side 34 of back 14 may be sloped at an angle A with respect to inner side 19 of the back to give flanges 16 an upward slope when the bracket is fixed to a wall.

In the alternate embodiment shown in FIG. 3 of the drawings, a ribbon 36 is provided with flared side edges 38 having spaced notches 40 located along each side of the flared edges and a score 42 traversing each face 44 of the ribbon between aligned notches. This form of ribbon 36 increases the rigidity of loops 26 to inhibit sagging under a load while maintaining transverse flexibility and lateral deformability.

It will be appreciated that, besides preselecting the size of each loop 26, any loop may be reduced in size by pressing the ribbon of the loop inwardly adjacent its base and in similar manner the size of a loop 26 may be increased.

lc laim:

1. A rack for holding tools and the like, comprising:

' a channel having a back and a pair of outstanding, opposed flanges, each flange having an inwardly projecting portion extending the length of the channel; and i a ribbon having a-width substantially equal to the distance between the flanges and greater than the distance between the projecting portions, the ribbon being transversely flexible forming at least one open loop and being sufficiently rigid in the lateral direction thereof but deformed along its edges when the loop is pressed into the channel whereby part of the ribbon lies in the channel against the back and the loop is wedged between the projecting portions to project outward from the channel.

2. A rack as claimed in claim 1 in which the channel is rigid polyvinylchloride and the ribbon is deformable and flexible polyvinylchloride.

3. A rack as claimed in claim 1 in which each projecting portion is serrated to form a plurality of ridges parallel to said back.

4. A rack as claimed in claim 1 in which each projecting portion is serrated in a saw-tooth configuration in a plane normal to said back.

5. A rack as claimed in claim 4 in which the serrations are slanted towards the back of the channel.

6. A rack as claimed in claim 1 in which each edge of the ribbon is flared.

7. A rack as claimed in claim 6 in which each face of each flared edge of the ribbon is notched at spaced intervals throughout the length of the ribbon, the opposed notches of each face of the ribbon being aligned.

8. A rack as claimed in claim 7 in which the ribbon is scored across each face between aligned notches. 

1. A rack for holding tools and the like, comprising: a channel having a back and a pair of outstanding, opposed flanges, each flange having an inwardly projecting portion extending the length of the channel; and a ribbon having a width substantially equal to the distance between the flanges and greater than the distance between the projecting portions, the ribbon being transversely flexible forming at least one open loop and being sufficiently rigid in the lateral direction thereof but deformed along its edges when the loop is pressed into the channel whereby part of the ribbon lies in the channel against the back and the loop is wedged between the projecting portions to project outward from the channel.
 2. A rack as claimed in claim 1 in which the channel is rigid polyvinylchloride and the ribbon is deformable and flexible polyvinylchloride.
 3. A rack as claimed in claim 1 in which each projecting portion is serrated to form a plurality of ridges parallel to said back.
 4. A rack as claimed in claim 1 in which each projecting portion is serrated in a saw-tooth configuration in a plane normal to said back.
 5. A rack as claimed in claim 4 in which the serrations are slanted towards the back of the channel.
 6. A rack as claimed in claim 1 in which each edge of the ribbon is flared.
 7. A rack as claimed in claim 6 in which each face of each flared edge of the ribbon is notched at spaced intervals throughout the length of the ribbon, the opposed notches of each face of the ribbon being aligned.
 8. A rack as claimed in claim 7 in which the ribbon is scored across each face between aligned notches. 